MLB Player News

Brash (elbow) threw 25 pitches at 85 percent effort Monday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Brash was recently cleared to resume throwing off a mound, and he's progressed to 85 percent effort after tossing at roughly 70 percent Wednesday. The team will likely re-evaluate the right-hander Tuesday morning to see how he bounces back from his latest side session before determining next steps.

Ginkel is the most likely option to close for the Diamondbacks while Paul Sewald (oblique) is sidelined, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

Sewald could be facing a fairly lengthy absence after being diagnosed with a Grade 2 left oblique strain. While manager Torey Lovullo didn't want to name a closer in Sewald's absence, but all signs point to Ginkel getting the first crack at the job. The 30-year-old collected a 2.48 ERA and 70:23 K:BB over 65.1 frames during the regular season for Arizona last season, picking up four saves along the way. Ginkel also spun 11.2 shutout innings with a 15:5 K:BB during the postseason.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Monday that Sewald has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 left oblique strain and will start the season on the injured list, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

Sewald had a productive spring training, as he allowed no runs on four hits and a walk while striking out five across six innings. It's unclear when he sustained the injury, but the right-hander will spend time on the IL to start the 2024 season. With Sewald out, Kevin Ginkel is the most likely candidate to close for the Diamondbacks in the interim.

The Yankees reassigned Santana to minor-league camp Monday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Santana pitched well this spring, posting a 3.12 ERA and 10:0 K:BB over 8.2 frames. It wasn't enough to earn him a spot in the Opening Day bullpen, however, so he'll provide relief depth at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Manager Joe Espada said that Dubin (shoulder) threw a live batting practice session Monday at the Astros' spring training facility, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Facing hitters in a live BP setting marks a meaningful step forward in the recovery process for Dubin, who didn't make any appearances during the Grapefruit League after experiencing shoulder inflammation early in camp. As a reliever, Dubin likely won't require a lengthy ramp-up period, but he appears on track to begin the season on the 15-day injured list unless the Astros elect to option him to Triple-A Sugar Land.

King (illness) was scheduled to face hitters at the Cardinals' spring training complex in Florida on Sunday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

King did not travel with the team to Arizona for its two exhibition games against the Cubs on Monday and Tuesday, but he remains a possibility to be included on the Opening Day roster. The left-handed reliever struggled early on this spring but was unscored upon in his final three Grapefruit League appearances before an illness cropped up.

The Yankees reassigned De Los Santos to minor-league camp Monday.

De Los Santos was blasted for six runs (five earned) over just 2.1 frames this spring. He will provide some relief depth at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Pepiot will be included in the Rays' Opening Day rotation and is scheduled to make his first start April 1 versus the Rangers at Tropicana Field, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Though he'll be taking the hill for the Rays' fifth game of the season, Pepiot is essentially opening the season as the team's No. 4 starter, as Tyler Alexander will make his debut one game before Pepiot but looks to be in line for a bulk-relief role and may have his turn in the rotation skipped during lighter portions of the schedule. Pepiot concluded the Grapefruit League with a 6.75 ERA and 1.43 WHIP over 13.1 innings, but a 16:3 K:BB provides a better indication of how well he pitched this spring. The 26-year-old right-hander could have his workload managed to some degree as he begins his first season in Tampa Bay, but he turned in sterling ratios during his time in the big leagues with the Dodgers over the past two seasons and should be useful on a per-inning basis.

Waguespack will open the season in a long-relief role for the Rays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

He had been competing for a spot in the rotation, but the Rays have picked Tyler Alexander for that role. Waguespack holds a career 5.08 ERA and 79:38 K:BB over 13 starts and 14 relief appearances at the major-league level.

Alexander has won the final spot in the Rays' Opening Day rotation, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Alexander will pitch in the Rays' fourth game of the season Sunday against the Blue Jays, though it's possible he will follow an opener. The left-hander was used as a full-time reliever last season with the Tigers, but he has plenty of past starting experience and was stretched out to 89 pitches in a minor-league game Sunday. Alexander could be shifted to the bullpen when Shane Baz (elbow) and/or Taj Bradley (pectoral) are ready to return from the injured list, but that might be a while.